Why I’m Taking A Pay Cut And Changing Careers

But if you need me to spell it out for you, YES, this girl right here just got a new full-time job and I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am about it!

I’ll be sharing more details about it in the near future, but for now, here’s what you need to know:

I’m taking a $10,000 paycut to pursue my passion.

Does that sound super corny?

Ugh, whatever. If it does, I don’t care.

Because the thing is, I was dying a slow death at my current job.

It was mostly just the work itself.

I hated it.

It wasn’t something that excited me.

I literally found myself waking up every day more and more upset at the thought of going into work.

And that was a weird feeling, because I’m a pretty happy person! So the fact that I was so unhappy these past few months told me a lot of things.

It told me that I was completely uninspired.

It told me that I felt like I was wasting my life away.

And most importantly, it told me that I was ready for a change.

I’d been flirting with the idea of pursuing a job in the marketing world for a while now. Because, HELLOO…. I live and breathe marketing each every single day with this blog.

For the past four years, I’ve been writing blog posts, writing a book even, and promoting the heck out of all of it.

I’ve discovered a passion for this stuff.

I’ve discovered a passion for social media.

That’s what I’ve been doing with my life every single day after work for the past four years.

And it’s changed me.

I’m not the same person I was when I was in college.

I’m not the same person I was when I was getting my master’s degree.

I’m a 25 year old woman who’s allowed herself to pursue new interests over the past few years, and now I’m finally at a point where I know what I want.

So like I was saying, I’d been flirting with the idea of a career change for a while now. But every time I even thought about it, I couldn’t face the fact that I’d likely need to take a pay cut to explore a totally new career field.

I’ve been a Contract Administrator for the past two years. Before that, I was a Regulatory Coordinator. I’ve dealt with processes and TONS of paperwork and while the experience I gained in each of those roles has been 100% invaluable to me, those aren’t exactly the kind of jobs that qualify me to work in the marketing realm (had it not been for this blog).

So I knew that to make this jump, I’d have to deal with making less money initially, and for a long time, that wasn’t something I was willing to do.

I felt like I had worked so hard to get where I was in terms of my salary.

I felt that taking a step back would mean accepting that I had failed in some way, and I didn’t want to let myself down.

But turns out, I was ALREADY letting myself down, because I was keeping myself from going after something that I knew would make me happy.

So I thought a lot.

And I prayed a lot.

And ultimately, I realized that it was time to be a big girl about all this and prioritize my own happiness and well-being over money.

It was time to be INTENTIONAL about my career.

It was time to do the scary thing and leave behind the comfort of a job that I did well and was used to.

So I did that.

I fixed up my resume, applied to positions in the Marketing world, and after a LOT of research and effort, I finally landed myself a new job, one that I know in my gut I’m gunna love.

I’ll be working at an advertising agency as a Social Media Manager/Digital Content Strategist.

I honestly still have a hard time taking that all in.

I don’t think I could have written a better job description for me if I tried.

THAT’S what I’ve been wanting.

THAT’S what I’m supposed to be doing.

And starting Monday, THAT’S gunna be my life.

For the first time in what seems like forever, I’m SO FREAKING EXCITED!

I’m excited and I’m inspired and I’m ready to make things happen.

I’ve already ordered like 6 new marketing books on Amazon and I’m throwing myself into them.

That’s a good feeling.

A feeling that I hadn’t felt in a while.

Possibility.

The feeling that so much awesomeness lies ahead.

The feeling that my real career is just about to start.

So if you’re one of those SO MANY PEOPLE I know who are absolutely MISERABLE at work, here are your choices, friends.

Stay at your current job and stop complaining about how miserable you are.

or

2. Freaking do something about it.

I’ll be the first one to tell you that I was a part of #1 for a long long time.

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35 Comments

Congratulations! That job sounds absolutely perfect for you! I definitely stayed in jobs I hated for way to long, so I’m totally with you on making that move. Best of luck,and I can’t wait to hear about your new journey.

Congrats girl! It’s scary to make a change like that, I get it! I took a MAJOR pay cut when I started my current job (I’ve been here about 9 months) and while there are connections to what I used to do, it wasn’t the same and that was scary in a lot of ways. I went from working in the music industry with a semi-name for myself to working as a social media marketing coordinator / content writer. Congrats again, I can’t wait to hear where this journey takes you!

Good for you! You must be so excited! I recently went down to part time at my job (and took a pay cut there) so that I can pursue writing and get my masters degree. It’s so worth it and I’ve never been happier despite needed to budget a little more carefully

Congrats! I am so so happy for you. I recently made a similar big decision but it was a bit riskier. So, reading this post gives me lots of hope, motivation, and inspiration. Thank you and CONGRATS! I can’t wait to hear more 🙂

Neely Moldovan

Congratulations and good for you. So many people stay in their jobs for a variety of reasons but you’re being proactive about your life and what you want. I’m proud of you. Good for you girl and I wish you all the best. I hope it’s everything you’ve imagined it to be and much, much more.

Congratulations! I did the same thing two years ago and took a quarter percent pay cut, but I knew it was a move I had to make. I didn’t want to still be in a job that I hated and wish I had left when I could have ten or twenty years down the road. Good luck in your new position!

Kenneth Moffitt

Congrats! It takes a lot of courage to start a new career and take a pay cut. And it takes wisdom to understand that you are not happy and actually do something about it instead of sticking with something you hate. Just wanted to say well done.

Kayla, I am so proud of you! WAITT…You’re only 25 (or 26 if it’s passed your bday), you’re just three years older than me. I’m happy to have someone close to my age so successful and sharing her life and tips with everyone else. Please keep it going! Joua to the Rescue

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